Guests: Bill McGowan, Mort Zuckerman, Rachel Sklar, David Caplan, Joe Pagliarulo, Courtney Hazlett, Bob Titley, Chelsea Handler
JOE SCARBOROUGH, HOST: Right now in SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY, the gospel according to Jon Stewart. The “USA Today” asks if he‘s bad for America and causing Americans to hate politics. Plus, the bizarre Bahama death of Anna Nicole Smith‘s son. We‘re going to bring you the latest on the investigation into the controversial model‘s loss, and we‘re going to tell you where investigators are looking tonight. And later, predators beware, “Dateline NBC” is back, and they‘re catching child molesters in small-town America. A predator‘s worst enemy, Chris Hansen, is with us tonight with brand-new stings. And on a lighter note, his hilarious send-up with Conan O‘Brien.
Welcome to SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY. No passport required, no hidden cameras allowed.
We‘ll get all that tonight, but first up: Is Jon Stewart corrupting American youth and driving voters to become cynical? That‘s what the “USA Today” asked in a feature dubbed, “The Daily Show Generation.” You know, I didn‘t even feel it, but yes, friends, we‘re all part of “The Daily Show generation” now, which questions whether Jon Stewart actually encourages young people to get involved in politics or keeps them away from the polls. Now, a recent East Carolina University study that we talked about a few months back says “The Daily Show” isn‘t so funny, after all, finding that young people who watch the show develop cynical views about government that could keep them from voting.
So what mind-bending poison is being consumed by “The Daily Show” generation? Let‘s take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST: Bush even tried positioning himself as Bizarroworld John Lennon.
GEORGE WALKER BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Imagine how difficult this issue would be if Iran had a nuclear weapon.
Imagine a world in which you had a Saddam Hussein who had the capacity to make a weapon of mass destruction.
Imagine what the world would be like with him in power.
STEWART: You know, I think I have that album, “Double Horrible Fantasy.”
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: It‘s been a busy couple of weeks on Capitol Hill. Some election-year cultural war maneuvering, but really, where to begin? Basically, these are the past two weeks‘ highlights.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER ®, PENNSYLVANIA: I do believe that marriage is a sacred institution between a man and...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... a video game...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the American flag.
STEWART: Yes, they added flag-burning debate to the issues of gay marriage and violent video games! I tell you, it‘s been a very difficult couple of weeks for Gary (ph) and James (ph), the Massachusetts couple who created the X-Box game Flag-Burning City Troops Out Now.
What could be so important as to lure our president from the spa-like oasis that is Crawford, Texas?
BUSH: The violence in Lebanon...
and the violence in Iraq...
and the violence in Gaza...
STEWART: See, if there‘s only one of those (INAUDIBLE) Two of those, still having a barbecue. All three? All right, boys, pack up the Durango! We‘re going to Washington!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish you had another four years, man. If we had this president for another four years, I think we‘d be great.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCARBOROUGH: With us now, Mort Zuckerman, editor-in-chief of “U.S. News and World Report,” Rachel Sklar, media editor for Huffingtonpost.com, and Bill McGowan. He‘s the author of “Coloring the News.”
Mort, let me start with you. In Jon Stewart‘s world, is every politician a fool, is every campaign event a farce? Is that a message that Jon Stewart‘s putting out there?
MORT ZUCKERMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, “U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT”: Well, to some extent. On the other hand, it‘s also reflecting a fair amount of reality. I mean, I don‘t know how you can‘t have fun parodying some of the politics that we have in this country today. I mean, it is not Jon Stewart that is creating the irony and the cynicism, it is what the politicians are doing and what they are saying and how they are failing to address most of the major issues facing this country.
SCARBOROUGH: But Mort, why is a comedian who‘s got a show on Comedy Central, who once said, you know, that his lead-in was puppets shouting obscenities—why is this guy having universities conduct studies on whether he‘s damaging American democracy?
ZUCKERMAN: Well, because he has a real sway and hold on a younger generation of people who are interested in the news. This was true, for example, of “Saturday Night Live” for many, many years. I think Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who was a spin-off of those programs, of the former program, they really, in essence, capture a lot of what we would like the ability to point at ourselves...
SCARBOROUGH: And of course...
(CROSSTALK)
ZUCKERMAN: ... really a parody and it deserves to be made humorous.
SCARBOROUGH: And of course, Mort, what is so interesting about what
you just said—talking about a demographic the people in the news would
love to get—that‘s why CBS News got Katie Couric. That‘s why they are -
you know, on her first night, they‘re showing Baby Suri photos...
ZUCKERMAN: Right.
SCARBOROUGH: ... they‘re teasing their Web site, they‘re talking about the “Croc Hunter‘s” death.
ZUCKERMAN: Right.
SCARBOROUGH: I mean, it‘s all about going after the demos. Jon Stewart has a lock on those demos...
ZUCKERMAN: Right.
SCARBOROUGH: ... 18 to 24-year-olds.
ZUCKERMAN: Right.
SCARBOROUGH: They spend a lot of money, but they don‘t vote anyway, do they.
ZUCKERMAN: Well, I don‘t know what the exact percentages are in terms of the way they vote. They have never voted to any great degree. It‘s almost—it will take a major emergency, and particularly the military draft, probably, to get them to vote in the right percentages.
SCARBOROUGH: So if Jon Stewart—not to interrupt, but if Jon Stewart is actually getting younger people watching a show about politics, my point is, it couldn‘t get any worse with young voter turnout, so maybe this is a good thing, isn‘t it?
ZUCKERMAN: Yes. And let me just point out the median age of the people who watch the networks‘ evening news is 60-plus, 60 years, I think, and 9 months. The audience has gotten to be very, very old, by television standards, and the only person who‘s able to attract them are people who can approach the news with some degree of humor, with some degree of parody. And frankly, it reflects what a lot of people think about it, particularly the younger people.
SCARBOROUGH: Yes. Rachel Sklar, should the critics of Jon Stewart just lighten up?
RACHEL SKLAR, HUFFINGTONPOST.COM: Well, what do you mean, the critics of Jon Stewart? Do you mean these professors who are taking the step of saying that young people are becoming more cynical because they‘re watching his show and getting the news, to they‘re going to be apathetic and not vote? I mean, that‘s quite a leap there. One is based on—presumably on scientific data that they collected, and the other is what they impute. I mean, I happen to think that it‘s very galvanizing to have this information, very galvanizing for them to see what‘s happening and feel like they can become involved.
SCARBOROUGH: So you‘re—I mean, talk about your own personal experience. You say that you get involved in politics, you got interested in politics, watching these type of shows.
SKLAR: Well, I will say, you know, I was not a Jon Stewart lifer. I started watching him about a year-and-a-half ago and became addicted. And yes, how can you not become galvanized watching a show like that, where day after day, you see what‘s going on and you realize that you have to be aware, you have to recognize the spin. And it‘s the responsibility—I‘m not even American, but I do live here and...
SCARBOROUGH: But there is a spin, though, is there not, in Jon Stewart‘s message? And the spin is that George Bush specifically, and Republicans generally, are idiots.
SKLAR: Do you need to spin that?
(LAUGHTER)
SCARBOROUGH: Well, there you go! So you‘re his target demo. I mean, some would say that he‘s a little one-sided. Maybe that‘s why so many people are angry at his type of humor.
ZUCKERMAN: He‘s got a lot of ammo. Like Mort said, you know, he—don‘t shoot the messenger.
SCARBOROUGH: Yes, I guess not. And of course, people like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, they give comedians absolutely nothing to play with.
Now, I want to show everybody a clip of Jon Stewart where he accuses George Bush of being indifferent to the death of American troops. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: Seriously, though, there comes a point in every president‘s career when he has to assure the people that he isn‘t the thing everybody thinks that they are. Richard Nixon famously said, I am not a crook. Bill Clinton assured us, I did not have sex with that woman. What point does this president have to clear up?
BUSH: Nobody likes to see innocent people die.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: Extry! Extry! Read all about it! Extry! Extry! Extry!
Extry! Read all about it! The president says killing innocents is bad!
Extry! Extry!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCARBOROUGH: Bill McGowan, Jon Stewart—you know, I watch the show, makes me laugh, but the humor always seems to be directed at my side.
BILL MCGOWAN, AUTHOR, “COLORING THE NEWS”: You know, you have to say it‘s pretty much the mouthpiece for the Moveon.org people. I think if your politics don‘t align with Jon Stewart‘s, you‘re going to find him less funny. However, I do find him funny. I think he‘s a charismatic entertainer. He‘s not a journalist. Is it good that these kids are watching the show? At least they‘re watching something connected with public affairs.
But the real problem is that you‘ve you bred out of an entire generation a civic consciousness. And what you really need to do, instead of, like, fixing network TV shows, is you need to go into the schools and really get the kids interested in public affairs.
SCARBOROUGH: But that doesn‘t—that doesn‘t work. I mean, the voting age got moved down to 18. And you know, I remember last—in 2004, had a huge debate...
ZUCKERMAN: Right.
SCARBOROUGH: ... with other people on my panel, election night, 2004. They kept saying, Oh, the young people are going to come out and vote for John Kerry.
(CROSSTALK)
SCARBOROUGH: They‘re going to put him over the top. I said, No, young people do not vote, they never have. Unfortunately, they never will. Could it not be a good thing, Bill, that they are at least tuning in to Jon Stewart?
MCGOWAN: I agree. I agree. It‘s a good thing at least they‘re watching something to do with politics, but I think I also agree with Mort that it‘s going to take a major cataclysmic event or something like a return to the draft before you‘re going to see a generation get as politically aware as the generations prior to this one.
SCARBOROUGH: So Mort Zuckerman, I want to ask you the same question. Why is it that—again, I want to circle back. has Jon Stewart become so important that he warrants studies from universities and that he has people like Tom Brokaw in 2004 and Ted Koppel in 2004 stumbling over themselves, trying to figure out why this guy may be the, quote, “future of news”?
ZUCKERMAN: Well, I think he is important in this sense, in that he‘s one of the few sort of channels into the younger generation of Americans, to find out how they feel about things. And I mean, I was on the Stephen Colbert show. I was astonished at the reaction that I got to that show. There are a lot of people who watch that show who are very, very much engaged in public affairs and in what the show is all about.
SCARBOROUGH: But you know, Mort, it‘s so funny. When I was in Congress, I bet I was on, you know, 200 talk shows a year, cable news talk shows a year. But whenever I went on “Politically Incorrect” with Bill Maher, I would have kids stop me in the airport...
(CROSSTALK)
ZUCKERMAN: No, I‘ve been on that show. It‘s amazing. So you do have, in a sense, a certain attitude, an anti-authoritarian attitude on the part of a younger generation, which is not unusual, and frankly, is one of the great strengths of America. And in a sense, somebody like Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert or Bill Maher, they appeal to this because they really sort of go after all of the establishment...
(CROSSTALK)
MCGOWAN: But who‘s holding up the standard of serious journalism?
That‘s the problem.
SCARBOROUGH: And Rachel Sklar, why—why is it that all these shows that we talk about, Bill Maher‘s show, Stephen Colbert‘s show, which I love, “The Daily Show”—why do they all lean left? Because, as you know, young Americans are becoming more conservative—have been becoming more conservative over the past 10, 15 years.
SKLAR: I think there‘s just—like, there‘s one less level of spin involved. There‘s one less level of gloss. There‘s just cutting through it, you know, getting right to it and addressing it head on. There‘s a level of honesty, and you know that it‘s not a safe haven when you go there. Someone‘s going to have to answer for their views, they‘re going to have to answer...
SCARBOROUGH: And Rachel...
(CROSSTALK)
MCGOWAN: I think there‘s a double standard, and some of his guests get a very, very easy ride.
SCARBOROUGH: Well, I got to say this, and I will say this...
MCGOWAN: You were one of them, weren‘t you?
SCARBOROUGH: Yes, I was. I really was. I have been on a lot of shows, and on that show, Jon Stewart had—he was just outwardly hostile towards me. I‘ve never been treated more rudely on any show. I didn‘t take it personally. Whenever somebody treats me rudely because of what I believe, I figure it‘s their problem, not mine.
(CROSSTALK)
ZUCKERMAN: Go ahead.
MCGOWAN: The problem you have in that sort of construct is the fact the Republicans have dominated public policy in this country...
SCARBOROUGH: Exactly!
ZUCKERMAN: ... for the last six or eight years...
SCARBOROUGH: And Mort...
ZUCKERMAN: ... so they‘re the ones in power and they‘re the ones that are going to be parodied. You can‘t be surprised at that.
SCARBOROUGH: And Mort, that‘s exactly what I was going to say. My guess is, if Hillary Clinton is elected president in 2008, in 2009, Jon Stewart‘s going to be pounding on her just as much as he‘s been pounding...
ZUCKERMAN: Right after you have a heart attack. I mean, I think that...
(CROSSTALK)
SCARBOROUGH: Actually, I won‘t have a heart attack. I‘m a pragmatic man. Mort Zuckerman, Rachel Sklar, Bill McGowan, thanks for being with us. He‘s, of course, the author of “Coloring the News.”
And I do want to say one more personal thing about Jon Stewart. Again, there was a—there was a—just—I don‘t know why because, again, I love Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, great guy. But there was this personal animosity, there was this anger in Jon Stewart that I just—I saw it up close. It was kind of humorous. I said, My God, I thought this guy was supposed to have a sense of humor. He certainly didn‘t. In fact, he called me a dirty name. But that‘s OK. My 18-year-old son said, Hey, Dad, that was cool. I said, What—he called me a blank-bag. My son said, yes, that was cool, wasn‘t it. Not really. I‘ll let you fill in the blank.
Anyway, coming up: Anna Nicole Smith‘s young son dies right in front of her. Find out why investigators still aren‘t ruling out foul play. Plus: To catch a predator is back. “Dateline” takes its investigation to small-town America with some disturbing results. Are sex offenders hiding in your back yard? And later: The Dixie Chicks‘s stunning new attack on George W. Bush, stunning only because it is such bad PR! Shut up and sing, baby! Shut up and sing!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCARBOROUGH: New details tonight in the tragic and mysterious death of Anna Nicole Smith‘s son, Daniel. Now, the 20-year-old died unexpectedly just days after Anna Nicole gave birth to a brand-new baby girl. The cause of death still remains unclear, but according to the latest reports, Daniel died of, quote, “unnatural causes,” the details of which are set to be released later this week.
To the very latest from “Access Hollywood‘s” Nancy O‘Dell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NANCY O‘DELL, “ACCESS HOLLYWOOD” (voice-over): It‘s a girl (ph). Balloons and flowers being removed from Doctors Hospital in the Bahamas, where in the span of three days, Anna Nicole Smith gave birth to a daughter and lost her only son. The autopsy is now complete, but the coroner‘s office will not release the cause of death pending a report from the toxicologist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was frantic and she was an emotional wreck, crying. And she pushed them aside to try and revive him herself.
O‘DELL: According to “The Nassau Guardian,” doctors were called in to Anna Nicole‘s hospital room after Daniel became ill. He then suffered a massive heart attack, dying instantly, all in front of his mother. Reports from the Bahamas say that anti-depressants were found in Daniel‘s system. “US Weekly” editor Ian Drew says Anna‘s family says something else could be to blame.
IAN DREW, WEST COAST SENIOR EDITOR, “US WEEKLY”: One of the—Anna Nicole‘s close cousin said that every male in the family has bad heart problems. Even one cousin in Anna‘s family had a stroke at 16.
There are rumors of drug use, although every source we spoke to said that Daniel was a very straight-laced kid. He was not into drugs. He was not into alcohol.
O‘DELL: Anna Nicole reportedly left the hospital with her newborn daughter on Sunday, and according to “US Weekly,” returned to her home in Los Angeles, despite being granted residency in the Bahamas last week. Once the reports are complete, Daniel‘s body will be returned to his home in California.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCARBOROUGH: What a tragedy. That‘s “Access Hollywood‘s” Nancy O‘Dell reporting.
With me now is “Star” magazine‘s David Caplan. David, first of all, let‘s set the setting. What was she doing in the Bahamas?
DAVID CAPLAN, “STAR” MAGAZINE: Well, Anna Nicole went to the Bahamas because—she‘d been there for a month-and-a-half to give birth to her new child. She wanted to get away from the glare of the paparazzi, get away from LA, and she thought the Bahamas would be a really safe haven and she could get away from her troubles, which, of course, did not happen.
SCARBOROUGH: The troubles follow her there, and of course, a lot of rumors (INAUDIBLE) some reports in local papers there that drug use actually was involved. What have you heard?
CAPLAN: Yes, actually, we‘re hearing that now, since this death has been ruled an unnatural death, there‘s lots of rumors about drugs. I mean, at “Star” magazine yesterday, we interviewed tons of cardiologists and doctors, and they said, of course, it‘s not natural for a 21-year-old to die of a massive heart attack.
SCARBOROUGH: Yes, I mean, I heard in that report that 16-year-old kids are having strokes in this family. I mean, come on! I mean, that just—that doesn‘t—that doesn‘t cut it. It sounds like drug use with a 20-year-old has to be involved.
CAPLAN: Exactly. It‘s so suspicious-looking. We all know we‘re all thinking it, that drug use was definitely a cause in this. We know this is a very sort of scandalous family. Just look at Anna Nicole Smith. Let‘s not pretend that when we first heard about the story, that wasn‘t the first thing we thought of.
SCARBOROUGH: And of course, these two, though, were very close.
CAPLAN: Exactly.
SCARBOROUGH: In fact, the son starred in her train wreck of a reality TV show.
CAPLAN: Exactly. We saw these two—we spoke with tons of sources, and everyone says Anna and Daniel had a great relationship. And in fact, what made this so much more bittersweet was yesterday, I spoke with the CEO of Trimspa, and he was telling me that on Saturday, Daniel and Anna spent the perfect day in the hospital. They were holding the baby together. Daniel was really getting to know the baby and saying how excited he was to be a big brother to the new baby. So it really made it even more sad and even just so much more tragic to learn that that was the last full day he spent with his Anna.
SCARBOROUGH: When will we learn officially what happened to this kid?
CAPLAN: Well, you know, I guess that Friday is when the toxicology report‘s going to be released, but Bahamian officials are saying it won‘t be until the fall, later in the fall, October, November, until they complete an inquest, for which Anna Nicole will be interviewed, and really, everyone who Daniel interacted with, including flight attendants on his flight from Los Angeles to the Bahamas. So we definitely have a few more weeks until this mystery is completely solved.
SCARBOROUGH: OK. David Caplan, thank you so much for being with us.
We appreciate it.
CAPLAN: Thank you for having me.
SCARBOROUGH: Still ahead, exclusive video of Paris Hilton‘s drunk driving court appearance, David Letterman-style. “Must See S.C.” coming up next. Plus, they can run, but they can‘t hide. “Dateline” NBC‘s Chris Hansen brings his new predator sting to SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY. Why can‘t these creeps learn their lessons?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCARBOROUGH: Wake up Grandma. It‘s time for a “Late Night” edition of “Must See S.C.,” some video that you just got to see. First up:
Remember last week, we told you about Paris Hilton‘s drunk driving arrest? Well, somehow David Letterman managed to scoop the rest of the world. He actually got exclusive video of what happened after her court appearance. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, “LATE NIGHT” HOST: OK, I‘m being told now that we
have a live satellite hook-up. This is Paris Hilton leaving the courthouse
leaving the courthouse after her arraignment. Live satellite in California. All right, let‘s go to the satellite now. This is Paris Hilton going home from court after her arraignment. There she is, right there. Whoa! OK. OK. All right, I‘m being told she‘s OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCARBOROUGH: And finally, tennis wasn‘t the only thing to see at the U.S. Open this weekend, as Jay Leno pointed out last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, “TONIGHT”: During the U.S. Open the other day, there was a quick shot of Donald Trump in the stands. And what a show-off! He was trying to show how rich he is. Did you see Donald sitting in the—show them. Look. Look at what he‘s doing. Look. He‘s actually eating money! He‘s eating money! Eating money!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCARBOROUGH: Oh! Very good. Very good.
Coming up, Britney Spears gives birth to baby number two, but has she learned the lessons from her mistakes with baby number one? Plus, it‘s deja vu all over again for the Dixie Chicks—their stunningly stupid new attack on President Bush and why a whole new generation of country stars may be joining in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
SCARBOROUGH: You mean people could still be shocked that cigarettes cause cancer. Oh, my.
Still ahead, Britney Spears give birth to her second baby in two years. Are her days as a pop tart finally over? We‘ve got the details.
Plus, which “Desperate Housewife” suddenly got too big for the small
screen? The answer‘s ahead in “Hollyweird.”
Welcome back to “Scarborough Country.” Those stories in minutes.
But first, “Dateline NBC” is back tomorrow night with another stunning investigation into the dark world of on-line sex predators.
You know, “Dateline” set up undercover houses with hidden cameras in Georgia and California. And they tracked down the alleged predators using on-line chat rooms and using members of the Internet watchdog group Perverted Justice as bait.
Now, 49 men showed up, including a doctor.
You‘re always shocked by the people that come through the doors. Remember the rabbi that came through the door, and these schoolteachers, all looking for sex with young kids. Could be your kids, my kids.
Well, this time, a doctor, a church director, and two military men came through the door. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a seat. I just have to finish shaking this stuff out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It will just take a second.
CHRIS HANSEN, NBC INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Did you have a hard time finding the place?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, man.
HANSEN: Got lost?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Who are you?
HANSEN: Well, who are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I‘m Dennis. I wasn‘t going to do anything.
HANSEN: The problem with that though is I have the transcript of our on-line chat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
HANSEN: So do you want to start again and tell the story from the top?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
HANSEN: OK. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She told me she was 15.
HANSEN: And what did you guys talk about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a lot of kinds of things we shouldn‘t be talking about.
HANSEN: Give me an example.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Asking if she was a virgin.
HANSEN: If she was a virgin?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
HANSEN: And why would you ask that question of a 15-year-old girl?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn‘t do nothing. I don‘t know. I‘m sorry. I apologize. I didn‘t have plans to do anything.
HANSEN: Did you bring condoms?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir. I have condoms in my car at all times.
HANSEN: Well, then, you did bring condoms.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, but they‘re from—I mean, it‘s just hanging out. I wasn‘t going to (inaudible). I was not going to do anything.
HANSEN: But you talk about jail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.
HANSEN: And you can‘t go to jail for not doing anything. What positions have you tried?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no, I‘m an idiot.
HANSEN: You know how to ride? You like doggie? And then you ask.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, God. Stop. OK. I understand what you‘re saying.
HANSEN: Just one more. You say do you—you ask if you delete all those IM‘s when you‘re done. I‘d hate to have your mom get nosey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes. Tell you what. Just put this down and just explain to me what‘s going to happen to me tonight. Am I going to jail? That‘s what I‘m asking.
HANSEN: Well, I have to tell you something. I‘m Chris Hansen with “Dateline NBC,” and we‘re doing a story on guys, men, trying to meet teens on the Internet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is stupid. I‘m a stupid man. I would like to leave. I‘m done.
UNIDENTIFIED SHERIFF‘S DEPUTY: Sheriff‘s Office, get on the ground. Down on the ground. Down on the ground. Hands down. Get on the ground now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please don‘t take me away?
UNIDENTIFIED SHERIFF‘S DEPUTY: Put your hands behind your back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please don‘t take me to jail. Please. Oh, my God. My life is ruined.
Can you just shoot me? Can you all just shoot me? Oh, my god. I‘m an idiot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on in. I‘m just going to finish getting ready. Give me a couple minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn‘t get a chance to get a hug?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have a seat. Have a seat. Sit down.
UNIDENTIFIED SHERIFF‘S DEPUTY: Get down. Get down. Hands behind your back. Roll over. Roll over. Now. Now. Roll over to your back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I‘ve got to throw my laundry in, but I made you tea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You‘re welcome.
HANSEN: How are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty good.
HANSEN: Why don‘t you have a seat over there? Did you find the place OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huh?
HANSEN: Did you find the place OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I didn‘t.
HANSEN: It took you a while? Did you get lost?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don‘t know what you‘re talking about.
HANSEN: Why are you here tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don‘t know what you‘re talking about.
HANSEN: You don‘t know what I‘m talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
HANSEN: I have some more questions for you, sir. Sir?
UNIDENTIFIED SHERIFF‘S DEPUTY: Get on the ground, Sheriff‘s Office. Get on the ground. Get on the ground. Get on the ground. Get on the ground.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCARBOROUGH: With us now, Chris Hansen from “Dateline NBC.”
Chris?
HANSEN: You obviously have made quite a splash not just in the news world, but also in mainstream culture. So much so that you were actually highlighted at the Emmy Awards.
I know this is very serious business but, if we can, let‘s just show a clip for a second and show how Conan O‘Brien used you in a skit.
HANSEN: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O‘BRIEN, TALKSHOW HOST: Hello? Anybody here?
HANSEN: I‘m Chris Hansen with “Dateline NBC.”
O‘BRIEN: Oh, God. OK. It‘s not what you think.
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to another edition of “To Catch a Predator.”
O‘BRIEN: I‘m looking for the Emmys. I‘m hosting.
HANSEN: Hosting. That‘s what you call it.
O‘BRIEN: Yes. It‘s my second time.
HANSEN: So you‘ve done this before?
O‘BRIEN: Yes. I did it one time, and I liked it. And I thought I should do it again.
HANSEN: Of all the predators I‘ve met, this guy, screen named Conebone69.
(LAUGHTER)
. is by far the creepiest.
(LAUGHTER)
O‘BRIEN: This is kind of—you think it‘s.
(LAUGHTER)
. very easy to explain.
HANSEN: Explain it, then.
O‘BRIEN: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCARBOROUGH: So funny, conebone69. Nice touch.
(LAUGHTER)
When you first started doing this for “Dateline,” there was a little bit of pushback from law enforcement officers. I know in Virginia we had trouble getting somebody on to explain why they weren‘t going out arresting these people.
Now, it seems like you and “Dateline” are being welcomed with opened arms by certain law enforcement officers.
HANSEN: Well, you have to be fair to law enforcement in this case, Joe. Because the first two times we did computer predator investigations, we didn‘t ask to have law enforcement involved it. We just did our investigation and went to law enforcement after the fact and said here‘s what we found. Here‘s the finished product of our show.
Perverted Justice gave the law enforcement people the chat logs that they had gotten in this investigation.
And it‘s honestly tough for these guys to go after the predators after the fact.
In Virginia, they have now prosecuted a number of these people, including the rabbi, who just last week was found guilty in federal court and is going to be sentenced in December.
SCARBOROUGH: The rabbi who lurched towards you, looked like he was about to choke you?
HANSEN: Exactly. He now faces a minimum of five years in prison after last week‘s conviction.
SCARBOROUGH: Why do they do it, Chris? What do they do? What have you found out, by talking to them?
HANSEN: I think that there is a certain percentage of the male population that, for whatever reason, is so involved in Internet chats in porn sites, that there is an addiction and ultimately a compulsion that can only be satisfied by a face-to-face meeting.
They live in this fantasy world. As long as it‘s chatting, as long as it‘s just on the porn site, it‘s not real to them. It‘s just something they do that they can‘t get in to trouble for.
They get in to a conversation. And then suddenly there is this other person out there who they think is 12 or 13 or 14 years old, and willing to meet. And there‘s this ideal situation, where they‘re home alone. Their parents are gone. And they can get in there and fulfill their fantasy. And it‘s too much for them to resist in some cases.
SCARBOROUGH: I think it‘s great you‘ve taken this to a rural part of America, to show people that there is just no escaping these types of predators, and they need to be on the lookout night and day.
Thanks, Chris.
HANSEN: My pleasure, Joe.
SCARBOROUGH: And, of course, you can watch Chris Hansen‘s latest installment of “To Catch a Predator.” It‘s going to be on tomorrow night, 8:00 p.m., on “Dateline NBC.” And you‘re not going to want to miss that.
Coming up next, the Dixie Chicks are at it again, calling the president names we can‘t even repeat on the air. Are their fans finally ready to hear it?
And coming up in “Hollyweird,” stop the presses. A baby, one more time from Britney Spears.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCARBOROUGH: Well, the Dixie chicks are at it again. According to “Entertainment Weekly,” a documentary called “Dixie Chicks, Shut Up and Sing,” that premiered tonight in the Toronto Film Festival, had lead singer, Natalie Manes, calling the president a dumb—well, I actually can‘t say it on TV, but it rhymes with puck, as in hockey puck.
Here‘s Bob Titley. He‘s co-founder of Music Row Democrats. Joe Pagliarulo, he hosts a radio talk show host in Texas, and senior reporter at “OK!” magazine, Courtney Hazlett.
Joe, let me start with you. I guess the question is does this get the Dixie Chicks voted off the country music station island for good, or were they already long gone?
JOE PAGLIARULO, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: They‘ve been gone for a while, Joe. And I‘ll tell you what, it‘s going to be a long time coming before they get back on it.
I think they forgot to separate what they do onstage, with what comes out of their mouth when they‘re not singing.
I wouldn‘t certainly try to stomp on their First Amendment rights.
They‘re Americans. They‘re allowed to say whatever they want.
But who‘s really the dumb one here? You‘re talking about the leader of the free world, who got reelected by the largest vote count ever in our history. And about the same time, the Dixie checks stopped being able to fill arenas in huge cities like Houston, Texas. So who‘s the real dumb—did you say puck? Who‘s the real dump person here? I have to use that.
SCARBOROUGH: Yes, the dumb puck, the dumb cluck—I better stop right there.
(LAUGHTER)
PAGLIARULO: Right.
SCARBOROUGH: Courtney, as Joe said, they‘ve already had to readjust their schedule. They aren‘t filling up arenas. Of course, they had a number one CD.
But at the same time, you make your money, your big money, by filling up the arenas that they filled up back in, what, 2002, 2003?
COURTNEY HAZLETT, SENIOR EDITOR, “OK!” MAGAZINE: Something like that. You can‘t forget where your bread and butter comes from. I think this is a case of you really need to figure out—know your audience. Your audience is filled with a lot of real conservatives here who voted for Bush. So maybe you should just.
SCARBOROUGH: It ain‘t “The Daily Show.” It is all about the NASCAR crowd, the country music crowd.
HAZLETT: Exactly.
SCARBOROUGH: I mean, so what‘s—had they really decided we can abandon those fans that listen to Reba and don‘t listen to Toby?
HAZLETT: Maybe the royalties are fantastic and they‘ve talked to their accountants and they can afford to take this kind of off-the-beaten path route. And they don‘t mind going to smaller venues now. I don‘t know.
But I think if it were really a wise decision, they could still fill up all their arenas.
SCARBOROUGH: Yes, which.
HAZLETT: Which they‘re not doing.
SCARBOROUGH: So, Bob, what‘s the deal? I know you‘ve got the Music Row Democrats. They put a CD together.
But at the same time there don‘t seem to be a lot of Democrats who run country music stations across America. Isn‘t this economic suicide for the Dixie Chicks?
BOB TITLEY, CO-FOUNDER, MUSIC ROW DEMOCRATS: Well I think it‘s not a question of being democrats or not. I think it‘s regrettable the tone they use when they talk about what they talk about.
The fact is about one-third of country music fans are Democrats and about a one-third are Independents. But there‘s also a question of how you express yourself. And I just think it‘s regrettable that the political dialogue in the country overall is so contentious right now.
SCARBOROUGH: Yes, so contentious. What‘s that about? Do you think that they‘re just so angry at what happened, the reaction, to her saying she was embarrassed to be from Texas, that they‘ve now gone over the top. And she‘s gotten so big that she just doesn‘t have that filter between her brain and her mouth?
TITLEY: I think you could say that could be part of it. You know, I think there‘s a lot of.
PAGLIARULO: It‘s kind of interesting through to hear you, Bob, because I went to your website tonight and your website seems to be spewing the same dribble and vile as Natalie Manes is spewing.
Are you serious? There‘s the name of a song on there about a white
conservative, red-blooded American, non-gay, straight man? What are you
talking about there? I happen to be non-gay man. I happen to be of the
conservative wing.
TITLEY: Well, that‘s a.
PAGLIARULO: Does that mean I‘m a bad guy according to your web site?
TITLEY: That‘s a humorous song. It‘s an ironic song. It‘s a comedy song.
PAGLIARULO: Oh, it‘s very funny. I found it to be very funny, Bob.
It was hilarious. I laughed.
(CROSSTALK)
SCARBOROUGH: Let Bob talk. Hold on. Let Bob talk, Joe. Go ahead, Bob.
TITLEY: If you go to musicrowdemocrats.com and listen to the music, you‘ll also hear a song by Bobby Braddock who wrote, “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” one of the classics of all time, a Hall of Fame songwriter. That‘s a very moderate song.
Dan Tyler has a song on there that talks about the value of both sides of the Dialogue.
We think that we need to bring a more civil dialogue to the process and come together in this country.
SCARBOROUGH: Well, let‘s play a.
PAGLIARULO: Well, why don‘t you guys write songs and let‘s go get the terrorists.
SCARBOROUGH: Joe, Hold on a second.
PAGLIARULO: Why don‘t you write a song “Let‘s go get Osama bin Laden.”
SCARBOROUGH: Let‘s listen to a clip. This is a clip put together by Music Row Democrats on their CD. Take a quick listen.
MUSIC ROW DEMOCRATS: Now I can understand why you were hot because bin Laden never did get caught. So you said we had Saddam to blame, tried to tell us it was all the same. Now the years roll by and our kids keep dying. You don‘t even have a plan to bring them home. Those WMDs you promised on TV, admit it. You figured it wrong. So I‘m taking my country back.
SCARBOROUGH: Bob, that don‘t sound like Toby Keith, does it?
TITLEY: Well, it sounds a little bit like Toby Keith actually.
SCARBOROUGH: Well, I mean the words.
(LAUGHTER)
PAGLIARULO: It obvious it‘s not Toby Keith. Give me a break.
TITLEY: Remember, Toby Keith has said—Toby Keith wrote his song in support of going in to Afghanistan. He has said he did not support necessarily Iraq, the mission in Iraq. But he always supports the troops.
And I think that song points to the notion that the kids going over there to Iraq aren‘t coming from Gated Communities. They‘re coming from farms and working-class neighborhoods.
SCARBOROUGH: Now, Joe, respond to that.
PAGLIARULO: Well, that song acted for .
(CROSSTALK)
SCARBOROUGH: You also had Faith Hill, who‘s a Democrat. You also have her husband, obviously, Tim McGraw, a big Democrat.
PAGLIARULO: I‘ve got no problem with people being Democrat or Republican or Independent or anything. I just don‘t want to hear about it while their up there singing to me. Look, their job is to sing. Their job is not to be a politician.
SCARBOROUGH: Well, I agree with you. I agree with you.
(CROSSTALK)
PAGLIARULO: Why don‘t they fill out signs and go march on Washington?
SCARBOROUGH: I mean really quickly, Courtney, it is that most Americans want their artists, whether they‘re conservative or liberal, to shut up and sing, right?
HAZLETT: You‘re absolutely right. Know your filter.
(LAUGHTER)
SCARBOROUGH: No your—and know what your job is.
You know, it‘s just like my job, everybody. It ain‘t dancing, OK? And maybe somebody should have told Tucker that a—I‘m joking. Tucker danced great with the stars tonight.
Hey Bob, Joe, and Courtney, thank you so much. A very, very interesting discussion.
And, Bob, we‘ll go to that website and look it over. It looks very fascinating.
Coming up next, secrets revealed about Princess Diana, including her hidden love for—oh, this is too good—David Hasselhoff. Break out the Bacardi. We‘re going to “Hollyweird,” baby.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCARBOROUGH: I love that song. You know, I don‘t care if OC used it up or not. I like that song.
Some more for the paparazzi. And have your assistant get you a good cappuccino. It‘s time to take a trip, my friend, to “Hollyweird.”
First up - oops, she did it again. Baby, hit me one more time. In search of a Britney Spears song title because the pop tart is mom again. Another baby boy.
Back with us to talk about it, senior reporter at “OK!” Magazine, Courtney Hazlett. And from the “Chelsea Show,” my gosh, it‘s Chelsea herself.
CHELSEA HANDLER, HOST, “THE CHELSEA SHOW”: Hi.
SCARBOROUGH: Chelsea, thank you so much.
She is also, of course, the author of “My Horizontal Life.”
Ironically, also, my autobiography.
(LAUGHTER)
Let‘s start tonight though, Courtney, with Britney Spears. Tell us about Britney and K-Fed‘s bouncing new baby?
HAZLETT: Send out the birth announcements. Late, late last night or early this morning, depending on how you want to look at it, they had baby number 2. Much to everyone‘s surprise, it reportedly is a boy. Her farther went on and confirmed that tonight.
Everyone thought she was having a girl. She was shopping for girl clothes, buying girl clothes. Ellen DeGeneres gave her a girl motorcycle jacket. But tricked us. It‘s a bouncing baby boy.
SCARBOROUGH: So what‘s that about? They don‘t have sonograms in the trailer park or what?
HAZLETT: No, no.
(LAUGHTER)
SCARBOROUGH: What? That‘s a fair question.
HAZLETT: That‘s a fair question.
HANDLER: I have a question, Courtney. I have a question.
SCARBOROUGH: Yes?
HANDLER: Do they have any idea who the farther is?
(LAUGHTER)
SCARBOROUGH: That is a very good question. Why don‘t you answer
that for me? You pretty confident it‘s K-Fed, Chelsea?
HANDLER: I don‘t know. I mean, hopefully, if it is K-Fed‘s then I
think we can be assured that the boy will be very, very intelligent and a very talented rapper.
SCARBOROUGH: No doubt about it. A Rhode‘s Scholar with beat.
Why don‘t you tell me, speaking of these little family dustups and family affairs, Chelsea, talk about Donald Trump. Donald may not be a huge Beatle‘s fan. Can‘t fire Paul McCartney. But that‘s not stopping him for calling the former Beatle an idiot for not getting a prenup agreement. Tell us about it.
HANDLER: Yes, I don‘t know why Donald Trump is giving anybody advise about marriages.
(LAUGHTER)
Hasn‘t he been married, like, 17 times?
SCARBOROUGH: I think so, yes.
HANDLER: And they‘ve all taken, like, millions and millions of dollars from him at least?
At least Paul McCartney‘s learning this one time and hopefully the last time. Donald Trump had to learn the lesson three times.
SCARBOROUGH: How many times has he been married, by the way?
HANDLER: My super computer broke down in the back. It‘s like four, five, something like that?
HAZLETT: Probably. I mean, he is a hot ticket. That‘s one hot man, right there.
SCARBOROUGH: He is a hot man.
Something about that comb-over, Courtney.
HANDLER: There‘s something about it.
SCARBOROUGH: But Paul McCartney is worth, like, a $1 billion. Why didn‘t he get a prenup?
HAZLETT: You know, why didn‘t he get a comb-over.
SCARBOROUGH: Exactly.
HAZLETT: Who knows? Maybe that would have helped. For a guy though, Donald Trump speaks basically only in hyperbolas. This time, when he says you‘re an idiot, he‘s actually not really exaggerating. He really made a bad call on his wife.
SCARBOROUGH: An idiot worth a billion dollars.
(LAUGHTER)
I should be so dumb.
Chelsea, let‘s talk next about Eva Longoria. You know, season three hasn‘t even premiered. But one of Hollywood‘s hottest housewife‘s is desperate to get off the TV set.
Eva Longoria says she isn‘t walked away from the show. But she‘s never doing TV again. Talk about it.
HANDLER: Well, hopefully that‘s very disappointing since she made such a huge contribution to television. That‘ll be disappointing not to see her on it again.
SCARBOROUGH: And, of course, Mary Tyler Moore decided to get out of
TV. That was great career move, wasn‘t it, Courtney
HAZLETT: Yes. And let‘s look at all the cast of Seinfeld. They really haven‘t done so hot, despite—Julia Louis-Dreyfus, that‘s an aberration.
SCARBOROUGH: It would be a very bad move. I saw her in “The Sentinel (ph)” or something. I just didn‘t buy the gun thing.
HANDLER: I don‘t like when these celebrities knock the very thing that made them famous.
SCARBOROUGH: Oh I know. It‘s kind of like the Hoff.
(LAUGHTER)
Instead of talking about singing, saying now that Princess Diana has a crush on him? Have you heard that one?
HANDLER: Listen. Yes, I‘ve heard that one. And let me tell you my take on David Hasseloff, OK? I used to date a guy who wanted me to have a threesome, OK? He was English and he said, Chelsea, Chelsea, try it, you‘re really going to like it. It‘s really popular in Europe. I said, like, so is David Hasselhoff.
(LAUGHTER)
SCARBOROUGH: That‘s a very good point.
HANDLER: That is not a good reason.
SCARBOROUGH: You know why? It‘s a Hoff‘s world, as Courtney says.
We‘re just visiting.
Chelsea, thank you so much for being with us.
Courtney, thank you.
We‘ll see you tomorrow night on “Scarborough Country.”
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
END
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